A Democratic lawmaker has delivered an impassioned plea to push through a bill to send pedophiles who buy sex with children to prison.
California State Senator Susan Eggman declared 'we have a moral responsibility to say,enough,enough' as she rallied the chamber to unanimous approval.
Antiquated state laws mean people who solicit underage prostitutes can only be charged with misdemeanors and only get two days in jail.
The bill SB 1414 would make it a felony punishable by two to four years in prison,a $25,000,and registration as a sex offender.
However,a group of rouge Democrats led by State Senator Scott Wiener watered down the bill in the Senate Public Safety Committee.
State Senator Shannon Grove,who authored SB 1414,wanted to take her name off it after it was watered down in committee
The CPDA said the bill punishes some defendants more harshly even when they did not have the intent to have sex with a minor.
'This change will unfortunately lump some defendants into the category of sex offender with lifelong consequences for them and their families even though the intent is completely lacking,' it said.
The bill will be debated by the state assembly in coming months and some or all of Grove's provisions could be reinstated.
'The crime of purchasing a child,of any age,for sex in the state of California should be a prison felony,' she said after the weaker version passed.
'We must restore this bill in the Assembly to protect every child in the state of California from the horrific crime of sex trafficking.'
Gavin NewsomUS SenateCaliforniaDemocrats
© OfficialAffairs
